Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday, officially presented his Certificate of Return to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, marking their first official meeting since Adeleke’s victory in last Saturday’s governorship election.

The governor arrived at the Aso Villa at exactly 5:25 pm in the company of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Dressed in a navy blue traditional attire and wielding his signature walking stick, the newly re-elected governor alighted from a black Toyota Land Cruiser SUV before heading into a closed-door meeting with the President.

Confirming the visit, the Special Assistant on Digital Media to the Governor, Olalekan Badmus, shared images online showing Governor Adeleke exchanging a warm handshake with President Tinubu.

"Governor Ademola Adeleke presented his certificate of return to President Tinubu following a closed-door meeting at Aso Villa," Badmus stated.

The high-profile visit comes less than 24 hours after Adeleke received the official document from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). During the presentation ceremony on Wednesday, the governor announced a N500 million endowment fund dedicated to victims of election violence in Osun State.

The certificate was handed over by the INEC National Commissioner for the South-West, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, at an event attended by top cabinet members and political associates.

Adeleke’s victory marks a significant political shift in the state. Contesting on the platform of the Accord Party (AP), Adeleke secured his second term by polling 511,067 votes. He defeated his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 444,815 votes.

The official results were validated on Sunday by the INEC State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole. This election marks a stark transition from 2022, when Adeleke—then running under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—initially unseated the former governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola.